Chatter

Separation, Italian-Style
The nine-year marriage of Audrey Hepburn, 48, and Roman psychiatrist Andrea Dotti, 39, may be crumbling as fast as the Italian political structure—and there's some connection. Upset by growing violence and kidnappings in Rome, Hepburn reportedly is irked by Dotti's refusal to leave the city (as well as by his squiring of bella donnas while she's away). The upshot is that Dotti is now sleeping at his mother's house but still taking naps and meals at Audrey's to see their son, Luca, 7. Dotti denies that Hepburn asked him to leave the house. "As for our marriage," Dotti says with a touch of irony, "we are surviving."

Game of the Name
Long before he clicked as the swashbuckling space jockey in Star Wars, Harrison Ford, 35, was being pushed around by the slave masters of the old Hollywood studio system. First he had to add a middle initial "J" (since deleted) because an old silent-screen star had the name Harrison Ford registered. Next they wanted him to wear his hair like Elvis Presley and "change my name altogether because they thought it was pretentious. I came up with one suggestion," remembers Ford. "After that there was no more talk." What did Harrison want to call himself? "Kurt Affair."

Pound of Flesh
"She's pretty good in political life," judges Virginia senatorial candidate John Warner of helpmeet Liz Taylor. But socially, "Well, let's say that there have been times when my temperature has risen considerably. In fairness to Elizabeth," he notes, "her unpunctuality is not meant to be insulting. She's such a perfectionist about her appearance that she keeps working at it until she feels it measures up to what people expect." But what if it happens to measure a few extra pounds? "That's because she's not so concerned with vanity anymore," Warner gallantly adds. "It's an attitude of 'I am what I am and I have a few pounds. So be it.' " Anyway, John belabors on, "I think the important aspects of Elizabeth Taylor are her intellect, her humor, her warmth, as opposed to her physical beauty. A few pounds haven't detracted as far as I am concerned."

Cop Out
Not so long ago LAPD cop-turned-author Joseph Wambaugh was slamming off outraged trade-paper attacks and a lawsuit against Lorimar Productions for its movie treatment (the camera lingers on the dirty parts) of his best-seller The Choirboys. But now that the film has opened to critical japes, and Wambaugh's unhappiness seems justified, his MO is silence. Though no one's talking (that's part of the deal), it seems that Wambaugh, 41, was given a financial settlement to cool it. The reported silencer: a cool million.

Work Stoppage
On a recent European trip, workaholic energy czar James Schlesinger decided to squeeze in a weekend stopover in Norway for some important oil-trade talks. But Norwegian cabinet officials value their leisure time as much as other workers. Enjoy the weekend, they replied to Big Jim, and we'll see you Monday. Furious, Schlesinger cabled the U.S. embassy in Oslo to put pressure on Prime Minister Odvar Nordli for an immediate session. No dice. Schlesinger reluctantly scrubbed Norway from his itinerary and jetted back to the U.S., where the 80-hour week is more appreciated.

Furthermore

•Not veddy likely, sniffed the doorman at Annabel's, London's stingingly smart nightspot, as the blue-jeaned 17-year-old tried to cozy his way inside without a tie. Then a word was whispered in his ear, a cravat was hurriedly produced, and the management—including the doorman—bowed low to admit an underage Prince Andrew.

•He wasn't first to notice, but NBC programming head Paul Klein may have best described why ABC shows like Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat have more bounce to the ounce. "They've got young female TV personalities running across the screen wearing little underwear on top," Klein observes. "You know, they're jiggle shows."

•He grew the crop about five years ago for a Western, but it finally was done in by too many weeds. "I smoke, you see, and after about four years," notes Rock Hudson, 52, explaining why he shaved off his mustache, "it smelled like a dirty ashtray."